


Backwards In Going Forwards

by BekahRose



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, School Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-02
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-31 06:23:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1028295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BekahRose/pseuds/BekahRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They've been friends for a long time, so when Morgana is being hassled by a former teacher at their Sixth Form reunion, Leon steps up and offers to be her pretend boyfriend to keep the slime-ball professor at bay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing, all familiar characters are the property of Shine and the BBC.
> 
>  **Notes:** Written for the October-Theme over at [merlin_writers](http://merlin_writers.livejournal.com/), 'Pretend Partners'. My Prompt was #10, _Someone needs a fake wife/husband to fend off a jealous ex at a high school reunion._ It's not so much a jealous ex, but a jealous creep who has been hassling Morgana. I hope this is okay. This fic has been broken up into two part/chapters because it was driving me insane. 
> 
> \----

The red and gold card shines like a beacon from where it is stuck to the refrigerator with a ‘My friend went to Australia and all I got was this lousy magnet!’ magnet. He rubs a hand over his beard and reaches out to pluck it from the ‘fridge and inspect it; with the exception of the person it is addressed to, it’s exactly like the one he has at his own house, hidden under a pile of Maths tests he’s yet to mark.

“Ugh, I keep throwing that thing in the bin, and someone,” Morgana says as she walks into the kitchen pulling her dressing gown tight around her waist, “keeps taking it out and sticking it back up.” She takes it from Leon’s hands and tosses it on the counter as she tugs him down to kiss his cheek.

“Arthur?” He asks as he pulls out a stool and sits, nodding when Morgana motions to the kettle.

“And Merlin and bloody Gwen,” she sighs and rubs at her face before sitting the kettle on the hob. “And if that isn’t enough, I’m seriously thinking about changing my email because I keep getting these creepy messages from…” She trails off and grabs the kettle as it begins to boil. “Do you remember a teacher named Cenred King?”

Leon’s brow furrows as he dredges up the memory of sixth form at Albion Academy and asks, “Was he the economics teacher?” He has vague memories of a few teachers but the only one who ever really stood out was Gaius, their chemistry teacher; his passion for his subject area made him a bright spot amongst the other disillusioned and uninterested teachers.

Morgana nods. “Yeah.” She slides a cup of tea towards him and leans against the kitchen counter. “I was sent back to Albion to do my PGCE and I thought he was slime when he was a teacher.” She shudders and frowns. “He was just so… ugh.”

Leon raises an eyebrow at that. “Did you report him?” he asks and raises his hand in surrender when Morgana glares at him.

“Of course I did,” she says before taking a long sip of her tea. “But it’s such an old bloody boys club over there… Only Gaius believed me, and he was retiring at the end of that year.” She motions to the invitation and continues on. “Since receiving that, he’s emailed me at least twice a day, asking if I would be returning for the reunion under the guise of organising it, but I KNOW George and Professor Monmouth are organising it because George contacted me first.”

“Maybe he’s helping?” Leon asks and even though he’s expecting it when Morgana thumps him in the bicep, he rocks sideways.

“More like being a dirty, little perv.” Morgana shudders again. “Either way, his presence is making me seriously question my attendance.”

“Oh?” He can’t help it, but disappointment at the thought of not having her at the reunion curls around him to settle in the pit of his stomach.

“So,” Morgana says after the silence settles around them. “What brings you to my humble castle?” Her tone is teasing and she sets her now-empty cup in the sink. “It can’t have been for my amazing tea making skills.”

Leon laughs and squares his shoulders. “Actually, I came to play Taxi. Arthur rang this morning requesting help to set up the house while Merlin’s visiting with Hunith.” He watches Morgana, see the recognition flitter across her face before she blushes. “You ignored his phone call, didn’t you?”

Morgana beams and nods at Leon. “Don’t suppose you want to drive over there and tell my darling, little brother that I wasn’t home?”

He lifts an eyebrow and shoots Morgana an incredulous look. “You’ve known me since we were three, Morgana, so you know that I can no more lie to your brother as I could lie to you.”

Her laughter fills the kitchen and she reaches across the counter to pat him on the cheek. “Let me go and finish dressing and we’ll be out of here in no time.”

===

The party is slowly starting to wind down and the birthday boy and their host are wrapped up in a cocoon of happiness on the chair across the room from where Leon and Morgana stand, finishing off a bag of pork scratchings. Leon’s gaze is drawn to his friends, the gentle laughter that drifts over to them and he can’t stop the tendril of envy that curls around his chest and squeezes. He wants what they have, wants the contentment that comes from having someone to hold and share his life with. He pulls his gaze away until he’s looking at Morgana and his thoughts feel as though they have been scrambled and something is niggling at the back of his mind, but he’s not quite sure what. Sighing, he turns and spies the familiar red and gold invite to their sixth form reunion, pinned next to a stack of other letters.

“Ugh,” Morgana mutters as she catches sight of the invitation, shoving the bag of scratchings away. “That piece of card is haunting me, I swear it.”

Leon smiles and shakes his head. “It won’t be the same if you don’t go.”

“It’s not going to be the same anyway. We’re all ten years older and wiser, fatter and balder.”

Leon frowns and runs a hand over his head and then down his front to check his torso and when Morgana snickers, he scowls before reaching across and shoving her shoulder, “Brat. I’m neither balding nor fat; I’m in better shape now than I was ten years ago.”

Morgana reaches out and scratches her fingers through the scruff on his chin and says, “hairier too.” Leon rolls his eyes and shoves her hand away, but not before tilting his chin upwards so her nails scratch over his chin and down his throat. Morgana’s chuckle is throaty as she shakes her head. “Swear you’re part cat.”

“Meow,” is Leon’s dry reply. He nods towards the invitation once more. “Is King the only thing stopping you from accepting the invitation?”

“He is,” Morgana said softly before shrugging her shoulders. “You should see some of the emails he’s been sending me.” 

Leon can imagine and he throws an arm around Morgana’s shoulders to give her a quick squeeze. “What if you went with me?” he asks.

“With you?” Morgana looks up at him and raises an eyebrow.

“It’s not like it’s that far out of the realm of possibility, Mor,” he teases with a nudge to her hip. “We’ve been friends forever. I want to go and however much you might turn your nose up at the idea, you want to go too, even if it’s just to give King a piece of your mind for being a lecherous old bastard.” When Morgana still looks unconvinced, Leon turns around. “I’ll pretend to be, I don’t know, your Knight in a Hugo Boss knock-off or something and the first time King even tries anything…” He trails off as Morgana’s eyes narrow. “Not that you need anyone to defend your honour or, you know…”

“Damn right I don’t need anyone to fight my battles.” She says and Leon sighs and rubs at his eyes. “But your idea does have some merit.” A slow smile spreads across her face and before he can say anything or dismiss the idea for being inane, Leon has to balance himself against the counter to keep from stumbling backwards as Morgana throws her arms around his neck and squeezes tight. “You’re the best friend a girl could have, you know that right?”

Before Leon can do anything but hesitantly return her hug, the clearing of a throat makes him lift his head to meet Arthur’s blue stare.

“My sister…” He says slowly, looking between them and scowling.

“ _Your sister_ is going to the reunion, and Leon will be escorting me and keeping the creepy Mr King from harassing me.” Morgana pats Leon on the cheek and steps away to glare at Arthur. “Unlike my _dear_ brother,” she says and Leon has no doubt that Arthur is in for another ear bashing. “Who simply suggested I wear something inspired by the Abominable Snow Man!”

Arthur has the good grace to look sheepish before turning to Leon. “I should probably be more worried about Morgana feeding you to the wolves, but if you hurt her…” he trails off and gives Leon a pointed look.

“Oh for God’s sake, Arthur,” Morgana says exasperated, throwing her hands up in the air and tugs on Leon’s arm. “I’ve known Leon just as long, if not longer than you have. I hardly doubt someone who looks on me as a sister is going to hurt me.” She grabs her coat and bag and flashes Arthur a quick grin which makes Leon turn his face to keep from laughing outright. “And we all know how I can defend myself against an annoying brother, don’t we?”

“Right,” says Arthur, looking from Leon to Morgana and back again. “Good luck with that.”

Leon does laugh then, head thrown back and clutching his sides. “Right, well, we best be off. Some of us have papers that need marking before Monday.”

“Drive safe!” Merlin’s voice echoes down the corridor and Arthur nods in agreement before walking them to the door and seeing it shut safely behind them.

===

Leon had known it was going to be a long night the moment Morgana had opened the door to her flat. It wasn’t a formal thing, but the invitation had said to dress for the occasion and Morgana certainly had. He swallowed and gave a low whistle, holding out his arm to escort her to his waiting car.

“I can see why Arthur suggested you wear someone from the Yeti line.” He smiles down at her as she shuts and locks her door.

“Abominable Snow Man, and,” she says, reaching out to give him a quick slap on the shoulder. “There is absolutely nothing wrong with what I’m wearing.”

“Well… no.” Leon replies, rubbing his shoulder as he opens the car door for her. “You’re stunning.”

“Good, let’s just leave it at that, then, shall we?” She smiles up at him as he closes the door and darts around the car to slide into the driver’s seat. “You’re looking quite dashing, yourself, Leon.” She lifts her arm and laughs when he flinches before brushing an imaginary piece of lint away.

Leon shakes his head and gives her a sheepish smile before starting the engine and pulling into the street.

===

They haven’t been seated long before Morgana tugs Leon as close to her as the chairs will allow without sitting in his lap and points out the slick-haired man headed their way. He turns his head to murmur his recognition in her ear and is rewarded with a breathless giggle and a quick jerk of her head for his troubles.

“Something wrong?” Leon asks.

“Your beard…” she drums her fingers on the table, searching for the appropriate word. “Tickles,” she says motioning to the lower half of his face.

At this, Leon can feel a small blush steal across his cheeks and is grateful for the low-lighting of the hall they were in. “Sorry,” he tucks his chin down and smiles.

“No, no.” Morgana tells him, lifting his chin. “It was okay. It was nice.”

Before Leon can say anything to that, a shadow looms over them.

“Miss Le Fey,” Cenred King smiles down at Morgana, his gaze travelling down until it rests on her décolletage. “What a pleasure to see you again. I was unsure if you would be appearing this evening, you never answered any of my emails.”

“I go by Ms Pendragon, these days, Mr King.” Morgana mutters between clenched teeth. Leon can see Morgana bristle, can feel her entire body tense up when their former teacher’s eyes lower. Carefully and as unobtrusively as he can, he slides his arm around Morgana’s shoulders and pulls her closer.

“Mr King,” Leon says with his smile firmly in place as he holds out his hand. “It is so good to see you again.” 

Cenred King blinks twice before reaching out to give Leon’s hand a quick shake, his gaze flicking from the hand to Leon’s face back to Morgana in rapid succession only to land on the proprietary hand on Morgana’s shoulder. “I’m dreadfully sorry, but I’m not sure we’ve met.” He replies slowly, dragging his gaze back to Leon.

Morgana’s laugh is soft and a little derisive and Leon knows that if it weren’t for the fact that their friends are sitting somewhere nearby, Morgana would have levelled their former teacher with a broken nose. “Surely you remember Leon Carrick, Mr King? He was Head Boy the year of our graduating class.” She reaches up and grabs the hand resting on her shoulder, squeezing tightly.

“Ah,” Cenred replies, looking somewhat like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck.

“But that’s inconsequential,” Morgana turns a little in her seat. “Mr King, I’d like you to meet my husband, Leon Carrick.”

Leon chokes on the water he’s just taken a sip of and catches Morgana’s eye.

“You seem surprised by that, Mr Carrick.” Cenred looks between them, his gaze shrewd as he narrows in on Morgana’s unadorned, left ring finger.

“Well, he would be,” Morgana says, leaning up and pressing her lips to Leon’s cheek. “He only asked me this morning, and we’ve yet to discuss the particulars with our families.” She turns back to face Cenred, and Leon can see the delight in her eyes as their former teacher seems to shrink away from them, glaring at him.

“Well then, allow me to be the first to congratulate you,” Cenred says with a smile so tight, Leon thinks his face is going to shatter. When Morgana holds her hand out for him to shake it and Cenred bends over to kiss the back of it, his greasy hair obscuring whatever it is he does that makes Morgana flinch and pull her hand back as quickly as possible, Leon contemplates shattering it for him. 

When Cenred has crossed to the other side of the room, Leon spins Morgana’s chair around, causing her to giggle and shriek and her hands to fly to his arms, holding tight to keep from falling off the chair. When she’s satisfied that Leon’s not going to move the chair around anymore, she reaches for her untouched glass of water and a napkin.

“He is the most disgusting, vile creature to have ever graced this planet,” she says, dipping the napkin in her water glass before scrubbing at the back of her hand. 

“What happened to boyfriend?” Leon asks, reaching to take the napkin from her before she could rub her skin raw.

Morgana freezes and Leon can sense she’s about to change the nature of their evening. “I know, I know, but…” she looks at him and sticks out her lower lip, making Leon scowl. “Did you see the way he was staring at my breasts! And he completely dismissed you as if you were nothing, the bastard!”

“Morgana…” Leon tries, his stomach doing flip-flops as guilt wraps around him.

“Please, Leon? Just for one night? Just until we can go home and I can change my email address?” She looks so hopeful and so distressed at the thought of Cenred having any kind of contact with her, that Leon can’t deny her.

“Alright, but… warn me next time, okay?” He presses a quick kiss to her forehead and sits back.

===

“It’s so nice to see so many familiar faces this evening,” Mr Monmouth stands on a small dais just off the dance floor and looks out across the tables full of former students. “Firstly, I’d like to give George Waites a very big thank you, for helping to organise this evening, so, thank you, George!”

Leon and Morgana shared a smile as they both rolled their eyes as a smattering of polite applause filled the room.

“And now, Mr King – the economics teacher for those who may have forgotten – tells me that our former Head Boy, Leon Carrick is engaged to our very own Miss Morgana Le Fey… er... Pendragon.”

Leon’s blood turned cold as Morgana turned to look from him to where their former economics teacher was standing by the bar, smug smile stretched across his features as he nodded and lifted a glass to them. Leon could see Morgana tense up, the way her hands braced against the table in preparation to push herself up as she got ready to march over to the bar and force King’s glass down his throat. With his heart hammering in his chest, he quickly wrapped his fingers loosely around Morgana’s elbow and stood, making their way to the podium as old Mr Monmouth beckoned them over. 

“Such a momentous occasion!” Monmouth exclaimed, “And that you can be here, sharing it with your friends and family from Albion Academy makes it even more so!”

Leon nodded and grinned before pulling Morgana into his side and pressing his lips to her temple. “Smile. For God’s sake, smile.” He murmured into her hair. When he pulled back and shook hands with Monmouth, he could see her grin, he felt himself relax a little.

===

“Carrick,” Arthur’s tone was curt and his gaze narrowed as Leon and Morgana finally made their way out of the throng of well-wishers. “Mind stepping into the corridor for a moment?”

Leon’s stomach plummeted straight to the floor as he met Arthur’s gaze and nodded slowly. As he stepped away, he felt Morgana’s hand tighten in his. He turned and smiled down at her. “It’s alright,” he murmured, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. Leon transferred her hand to Merlin’s, giving the pair a tight smile before following Arthur out into the hall. He wasn’t entirely surprised at Arthur’s response; the Pendragons were a family that prided themselves on tradition, even if only to buck it every now and again. When the doors to the auditorium were firmly closed behind him, Leon slumped against them and waited for Arthur to begin his obligatory – and no doubt, misguided and definitely not welcome – ‘That’s My Sister’ speech.

“What in God’s name do you think you’re doing?” Arthur asked, eyes wild as he glared at his oldest friend. “Morgana?” He started to pace and Leon had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes. “She’s my _sister_ , Leon!”

Leon’s blood boiled at the way Arthur was reacting. Yes, it was just a ruse to keep King away from Morgana, but so what? What if it weren’t a ruse, what if he had asked Morgana to marry him? He scowled when Arthur broke for air. “Exactly, Arthur, she’s your sister. Your very adult sister with a mind of her own and free to see and do whomever and whatever she likes.” Leon straightened up, not entirely sure why he felt so perturbed by Arthur’s reaction. “You should be bloody grateful that it’s me and not some gormless twat she met on the street.” He felt the door handle wriggle against his back and reached back, giving it a firm tug. “Piss off!” He growled through the door. “Use the other bloody exit!”

Leon turned back to Arthur when the door stopped jiggling, already drawing breath to continue giving Arthur a piece of his mind when a familiar voice made itself known through the wooden panel.

“Uh, Leon? You may want to come and take Morgana home.” Merlin opened the door finally and motioned towards the bar where Morgana stood, hands on hips and glaring up at their former professor as he towered over her.

“Oh, bollocks,” Leon muttered as his shoulders sagged for a moment before he was off and pushing through his former classmates, casting one last look at Arthur over his shoulder that clearly said their conversation was not over.

===

“All you over-eager school girls had a thing for me, it’s alright. I’m flattered and now I’m in a position to act on it without fear or consequence.” King’s tone was oily as he pressed his advantage on Morgana and Leon didn’t even both to check if she was okay.

“Get your hands off my fiancé, King.” He said as he reached out and spun their old economics teacher around and all the tension that had been building since Mr Monmouth had announced his and Morgana’s… engagement… let fly as his right fist connected with the older man’s left cheek, sending him sprawling against the several former members of the Albion Academy Lacrosse team.

As Cenred sputtered and tried to right himself, Leon grabbed Morgana’s wrist and pulled her close, scanning her quickly for any signs of distress. “Are you alright? Did he touch you?” At the shake of her head, he pulled her closer, wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “C’mon, love, let’s get you home.”

Morgana was uncharacteristically quiet as he guided her back to their table to collect their things and then out of the auditorium. As they passed Arthur and Merlin, Leon ignored their matching looks of disbelief and shook his head when it looked like Arthur was about to say something. “We’ll talk later,” he said softly, already slipping off his suit jacket to wrap around Morgana’s shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

Leon opened Morgana’s flat and led her inside, the drive home had been insanely quiet as Leon ignored the pain shooting across the back of his hand and Morgana ignored Leon. Even now, as he slips his jacket from her shoulders and ushers her to the kitchen, the silence weighs like a heavy blanket over the top of them; stifling.

“You punched him.” Morgana finally said when Leon set a cup of tea down in front of her. 

“Uh, yeah,” Leon replied and looked down at his hand, flexing it gently before reaching for a dish towel and running it under some cold water to wrap around his still aching fist.

“Leon,” Morgana said softly, lifting her gaze to meet his. “You punched Mr King.”

Leon huffed and turned away, looking out the tiny kitchen window over the sink. “The things he was saying, Morgana…” Leon said softly, lifting the towel from his hand to see how badly swollen his knuckles might be. “I’m sorry, Mor, but he had no right and whether I’m your boyfriend or not, no one should get away with speaking to you like that. I’m only sorry that I left you alone to be cornered in the first place.” He startled when he felt arms slip around his waist and Morgana’s cheek press into his back.

“When you said you were going to be my Knight in a Hugo Boss knock-off, I didn’t actually think you’d be coming to my rescue and punching anyone.”

Leon’s heart dropped to his feet before lodging itself in his throat when Morgana’s arms tightened. “I,” he started and stopped to swallow past the lump in his throat. “It was nothing, I’m sure Arthur would have done the same.”

A dry chuckle escaped Morgana’s lips and he could feel her warm breath through the thin cotton of his shirt. “You and I both know Arthur would have let me punch that smarmy wanker in the face before he dragged me away to keep me from ending up in the nick.” 

Leon laughed and nodded his agreement. Arthur was one of his oldest friends, but the nature of his relationship with the woman standing, wrapped around Leon’s back, was one the relied on Arthur having his head handed to him on a silver platter should he do something reckless like defend his sister’s honour. The last time he had, Arthur had walked away needing stitches in his shoulder while the pillock who’d dare to insult and hurt Morgana, had walked away with nothing but a kick in the pants. Leon stilled when Morgana’s hands slid up from his waist and came to rest over his heart, feeling the muscle speed up. “Morgana,” Leon said, voice strained as he dropped the dish towel and moved to grab her wrists, holding them away from him.

“Leon,” Morgana said, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

“I should go,” he slipped out from where she had him pressed to the counter. He caught the tiny frown on her face but when he blinked, it was gone and replaced by a facsimile of her usual cheeky grin. He was at the front door when he felt a tug on his arm and Morgana’s hand wrapped around his forearm.

“Stay.” It’s not a request and Leon’s heart stuttered, his resolve crumbling the longer he stood at the door.

A harsh noise, not quite a laugh and not quite a sob, echoed through the flat and Leon’s head fell forward. “You have no idea what you’re asking,” he said, treating her command as though it were a question and he doesn’t have to be looking at Morgana to know that she has one eyebrow quirked in derision at someone thinking she doesn’t know her own mind, the tightening of her fingers around his forearm as sign enough.

“I wasn’t asking, Leon, and you know it.” Morgana tugged at his arm again and again until he turned to face her. “Tell me that you would have done that for anyone. Tell me you would have done that for Gwen or Elena and I’ll drink my tea and go to bed.”

Leon’s brow furrowed and he couldn’t help but feel taken aback. “Well, I don’t… they have Lance and Percy, it… I…” He trailed off and reached up to rub the back of his neck. Morgana huffed and stepped closer, pulling Leon’s head down as she crashed their lips together. He stood frozen, eyes wide as Morgana’s lips pressed against his. A tiny rumbled worked its way up his chest when she started to pull away and gasping, Leon wrapped his arms around Morgana’s waist and hauled her closer, eyes falling closed as he met her lips again.

Morgana let go of his arm and wrapped both arms around his shoulders as she sucked at his bottom lip. They pulled apart at the same time, gasping for air. Leon’s eyes widened as he looked down at Morgana and the way her tongue peeked out to soothe over her kiss-swollen lower lip. He tracked the movement as he slowed his breathing and felt something twist in his gut, something he couldn’t… and wouldn’t… push aside. He gripped Morgana’s chin and tilted her head before pressing another kiss to the corner of her mouth, smiling a little dazedly when she tried to follow as he pulled back. “You…”

“Stop thinking,” Morgana commanded, tugging at his strawberry blond curls. “Stay… I want you to stay.” Leon watched as a flush of colour spread across Morgana’s cheeks before he nodded slowly and buried his face in her neck. He heard Morgana’s sigh, could feel the puff of warm air against his temple before she kissed him. “Thank you,” she whispered as her arms tightened around his neck.

Leon felt his blood run cold and stepped back, pulling Morgana’s arms from around his neck. “That’s not… you don’t have to thank me, Morgana.” He stepped back once more until he could feel the door at his back.

Morgana scowled and pulled Leon back to her. “I should slap you for even entertaining the notion that I would thank you like that,” she said as she gripped his face between her hands and forced his gaze to meet hers. “You’re being ridiculous, Leon. I like you, I was simply saying thank you for not running, screaming into the night.”

Leon’s heart slammed into gear and started to pound again as Morgana spoke. Her words unravelled the icy grip his assumptions had on his gut and he smiled. “I’m sorry,” he murmured and reached up to cup her cheek. “Our friendship is precious to me, Mor. You’re precious to me.” He watched as Morgana’s eyes widened at his confession, they had been friends for so long it was terrifying just thinking about altering their relationship no matter what good might come from it.

“You don’t think I feel the same?” Morgana asked, tilting her chin up in defiance. He could see the hurt in her bright green eyes and felt like a complete ass.

“You’ve never… we’ve never…” He shrugged, unsure how to answer without upsetting her further.

“Say we can at least try?” She whispered, turning her head to press a kiss to his palm. “Something this momentous has to be worth the risk, surely?”

When her lips brushed across the sensitive skin of his wrist, Leon’s resolve melted into the ether and he nodded slowly before saying, “We can try.”

===

Leon woke slowly, the sound of running water slowly pulling him from sleep to wakefulness. He reached out a hand, hoping to encounter a sleep-warm Morgana but to no avail. There was a tell-tale shuddering as the sound of running water came to an abrupt halt. He was about to call out to her, tease her about using up all the hot water before he had a chance to jump in the shower, when the sound of the door opening and slamming closed almost startled him off the bed and onto the floor. He untangled himself from the warm cocoon of sheets and quilt, readying to … he wasn’t quite sure what he was preparing to do, but he was going to do it and so resolved, he made his way to the living room, stopping only when he heard a very familiar voice.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing, Morgana?” Arthur’s voice drifted to where Leon stood in the hallway causing him to stop and listen as the siblings – no doubt – discussed last night and Leon.

“I’m _trying_ to make breakfast,” came the reply and Leon could clearly picture the sardonic look Arthur was on the receiving end of.

“That not what I meant and you know it.” Arthur said, Leon could hear the way he drummed his fingers on the countertop, his obvious frustration bubbling over. “I’m talking about the stunt you and Leon pulled last night before you flew out of the reunion like your hair was on fire.”

“Well, we’re not engaged,” Morgana said slowly and Leon could imagine the way she held out her hand with a roll of her eyes to show Arthur that she was speaking the truth. “But outside of that, I don’t see what business it is of yours, _dear_ brother.” There was a sharpness to Morgana’s tone that Leon had learned long ago, when they were all still in short pants and pigtails. No one did anger quite so well as Morgana and no one knew it better than Arthur and Leon.

“He’s my best friend, Morgana.” Arthur sounded exhausted and a little bit worried.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” 

Leon winced and crossed his arms over his chest. It was bad form, he knew, to stand and eavesdrop on a conversation, but a tiny little niggling feeling at the back of his mind left him frozen to the spot. He tilted his head when he heard a very masculine sigh and wondered if Arthur had decided to down.

“You know what I mean, Morgana, and I know what you’re like. I don’t want to see you hurt him.”

Leon’s eyes widened so that he absently wondered how they didn’t roll from his skull and across the floor. Of all the things he had expected Arthur to be worried about – their friendship, his sister – he did not expect it to be Morgana hurting Leon.

“And you think I want that?” Morgana asked and Leon could hear the incredulity in her voice and he winced at the look he could imagine Arthur was getting. “You don’t think I haven’t thought this through? That _Leon_ hasn’t?” The rattle of cutlery and the slamming of a drawer sounded loud in the silence that followed Morgana’s questions.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Leon squared his shoulders and moved towards the kitchen when Morgana’s voice stopped him.

“I really like him, Arthur,” she said softly. “He’s kind and he cares about me and you might not think it, but I care about him too.” 

Arthur sighed and Leon could hear the scraping of a stool or chair across the kitchen floor, the voices became muffled and he had no doubt that Arthur had pulled Morgana into a hug and slowly he started to back down the short hallway towards the bedroom. He had just settled back against the pillows when he heard the front door open and close much more softly than when it had opened. Leon rolled to his side and watched the door, waiting for Morgana to come back, perhaps with the breakfast she’d been in the process of making when Arthur interrupted her.

It wasn’t long before Morgana appeared at the door, hair damp and robe drawn tight around her waist and bearing two cups of hot tea. “You’re a bloody coward, Leon Carrick,” she said smiling as she approached the bed and handed him a mug.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” He told her, sipping at his tea before setting it aside.

“Liar!” Her laughter filled the room and Leon took the opportunity to take her mug and sit it beside his before pulling her down onto his lap. “Arthur’s entrance woke up the neighbours if their glare was anything to go by when he left, so I’ve no doubt it woke you as well.” She cupped his cheek and pressed a quick kiss to his nose. “How much did you hear?”

“Enough,” Leon said softly as he brushed her hair back from her silk-clad shoulder and pressed a kiss there. “The way he was carrying on last night, back at the reunion, I thought I was going to be privy to the ‘She’s My Sister’ speech.”

Morgana carded her fingers through Leon’s sleep-mussed curls. “I won’t hurt you, Leon,” she said softly. “Or, I’ll try not to hurt you.”

Leon nodded and pressed another kiss to her shoulder before meeting her gaze, his gut twisting at the look of trepidation in her eyes; she trusted him so much and she needed to know that that trust was returned. “I trust you,” he said before he cupped the back of her skull and pulled her into a slow kiss, showing just how much he trusted her.


End file.
